Railway-signal



(No Model.)

sqT. STREET. RAILWAY SIGNAL.

Np. 400,880 Patented Apr. '2, 1889.

.& vezaZZr:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL T. STREET, OF DEPOSIT, NEW YORK.

RAILWAY-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 400,880, dated April 2,1889.

Serial No. 261,525. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL T. STREET, a citizen of the United States,residing at Deposit, in the county of Broome and State of New York, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Railway-Signals, which I shallclearly and exactly describe with reference to theaccompanyingdrawings,in which Figure 1 is a side view of the apparatus shown in connectionwith a railway-rail. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the parts shown inFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective of a part, and Fig. 4 is also aperspective detail of a part.

Like symbols of reference indicate like parts wherever they occur.

My invention consists in an electrical signaling device for indicatingthe approach of railway-trains at highway-crossings or other placesremote from the operating mechanism of the signal-circuit, which is putinto action by passing trains.

In the drawings, (see Fig. 1,) A is a lever extending at right anglesfrom the railwayrail R, having its inner end bent to rest up against theunder side of the tread of the rail and resting for its support upon ashort arm, G, attached to a clamp, E, (see Fig. 4,) to which it issecurely fastened by means of a bolt, a. The lever A is made preferablyof steel or other elastic springing material to be used as a vibratingrod or arm, and mounted on it near its outer end is an insulated plateor block, F, to which are attached contactsprings K and P, (see Fig. 3,)also upright standards L L, in which standards are fixed set-screws O 0.

About one-third of the length of the lever A (from the rail) is attachedto it at the point H a similar vibrating rod or arm, B, having mountedon its outer end a coiled metal spring, D, which passes between thepoints of contact n of the contactsprings K and P, and which has on itsinner end a Weight, E, to secure evenness and regularity of motion.About six inches from the inner end of the vibrating rod or arm B, andnear its point of attachment to the lever A, a set-screw, 0, passesthrough both the arm B and lever A to secure proper adjustment.

WV and W are line-Wires of the signal-circuit, the wire W'beingconnected electrically with the spring D, and the wire W with thecontact-springs K and P'. These wires extend to the crossing or otherplace where a signal is to be given and have in circuit a battery and anelectric bell or other electrical alarm-signal. When the spring D isbrought into contact with either of the contact-springs at the point-nit will complete the circuit and will sound the alarm at the crossing.The coiled metal spring D at its point of attachment P with thevibrating rod or arm is preferably insulated to prevent a possibledeflection of the electric current.

The whole mechanism is removably secured to the rail by the clamp E,which consists of a heavy bar of iron or steel so bent that it fitsunder and at the sides of the flange of the rail having on one side alug, f, which fits down on the upper side of the flange of the rail, andon the inner end is turned up at d to form a hook or lug to secure itagainst the inner side of the flange of the rail, and it is also so bentat its upper and outer end as to furnish a support or fulcrum for theinner end of the lever A to rest upon.

Set-screws b b, Fig. 2, pass through the side of the clamp between itsbent end G and the lug f and engage the web of the rail. WVhen theseset-screws are tightened, the lug f and the end d of the clamp bear onthe flange, exertin g force in opposite directions and securely fixingthe clamp to the rail. 1

I have not shown in the drawings any specific kind of indicator or alarmsignal, since their constructions forms no necessary part of myinvention.

The foregoing is a general description of the device, and its operationis as follows: lVhen a train is approaching and passing the signaldevice along the rail R the pounding of the train on the rail and itsconsequent jarring motion communicated to the rail causes the coiledspring D to be agitated and its motion communicated to the vibrating rodor arm B, and through it to the longer arm, A, the two workingalternately against each other, causing the end of the coiled spring,near its point of attachment to the rod or arm B, to strike rapidlyagainst the points of contact of the contact-springs K P. Each time thecoiled spring strikes the upper or lower contact the circuit is closedand the alarm is sounded. As the train passes more or less rapidly overthe device, the recoil of the spring becomes more pronounced andcontinues the rocking motion of the vibrating arm and lever long enoughfor the train to reach the point of danger, the time being graduated bythe distance the points of contact on the contact-springs from thepoints of contact on the coiled metal spring, this being regulated bythe set-screivs C Cf, when as the vibrations of the arm and lever growless the points of contact cease to meet, and the circuit is permanentlybroken by the device returning to its normal position. The advantages ofmy invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination, with a railroad-rail, asignaling device, and an electric circuit, of a lever mounted to havecontact with said rail, a block of non-conducting material mounted uponsaid lever at its free end, contactsprings secured to said block, and aspringarm mounted upon the lever in advance of the block ofnon-conducting material and adapted to vibrate between thecontact-springs jgarrlied by said block, substantially as set ort 1.

2. The combination, with a railroad-rail, a signaling device, and anelectric circuit, of a lever mounted to have contact with said rail, ablock of non-conducting material mounted upon said lever at its freeend, contactsprings secured to said block and overlapping at their freeends, and a spring-arm carrying a coiled spring mounted upon the leverin advance of the block of non-conducting material and passing betweenthe overlapping ends of the spring-contacts, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with a railroad-rail, a signaling apparatus, and anelectric circuit, of a lever mounted to have contact with the rail, ablock of non-conducting material carried by the lever at its free end,contactsprings secured to said block, devices secured to the block forregulating the tension of said contact-springs, and a spring-arm mountedupon the lever in advance of the block of nonconducting material andpassing between the contact-springs carried by said block, substantiallyas set forth.

SAMUEL T. QTRE'ET.

*itnesses:

ANNA MoK. DEAN, If. L. Woon.

